Sleeping Patterns
by pot-o-crazy
Summary: Claire's loss of memory is still causing problems, and giving her nightmares. Alice unknowingly helps. Prompt: Coat


Sleeping Patterns

Prompt: Coat

Fandom: Resident Evil

Pairing: Alice / Claire

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Claire blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light. Her red hair moving in the breeze, as she gazed out at the sea in front of her. She was on a beach sitting on a slightly worn log. Next to her on the left was a young girl with blonde hair. She was chatting animatedly about something, and Claire couldn't help the smile that crossed her face at the sight. Claire got the feeling this girl made her smile a lot, which felt ... unusual. As the blonde finished the story, both of them were laughing before they were left in companionable silence. It felt nice to Claire as the both stared out at the waves. However when she looked back at the girl, her how expression had changed. She heard her next words perfectly.

"I miss her." She was staring at the sand, where her feet were scuffing up the natural patterns that had been left by the waves. Claire felt a brief moment of confusion at the words, before her expression softened. Claire felt her mouth call out the girl's name gently. She reached out and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry" She felt the words leave her mouth without her having to think about them, "She'll find us."

Claire carried on speaking but all of a sudden her mind couldn't understand what she was saying. There was a strange noise, like static that drowned everything else out. All of a sudden men dressed all in black were pulling the young blonde to her feet, and away. Claire tried to shout, call out the girl's name, but more of the men were grabbing her, and she couldn't hear over the static. She tried to scream. To fight. But her body was shutting down. Her vision darkening as the blonde was pulled out of her sight.

Claire sat bolt upright in bed. She glanced around the room and relaxed when she vaguely recognised the surroundings of the prison compound they had been staying in the last two nights. She ran a hand through her hair, slightly damp from sweat. She tried to remember what she had been dreaming about. Or rather what was in her nightmare that scared her so much. She concentrated, but to no avail. She could only remember a young girls face, whose name she couldn't remember. She threw back the covers and climbed out of the bed. She needed fresh air. The room felt stifling. She tripped slightly in her rush to escape the chocking atmosphere.

When she finally made it to the roof, she shoved the doors open and took a deep breathe. Moving forward she rested on the wall that looked down on the mass of undead surrounding the building. Normally Claire wouldn't have looked down, she knew they were there and needed no reassurance of their existence. However tonight was different, glancing down at them actually put her at ease. The dream wasn't real. This was. She had nothing to fear in a dream. This was what she should be afraid of. It calmed her, in a strange twisted way. Made her feel better, though she wasn't entirely sure why since she couldn't even remember what exactly she had dreamed of.

She heard someone clear their throat and spun around. It was Alice. Claire having been unaware she was there started at the sight of the dark haired ex-umbrella experiment in the doorway she had recently come through.

"I didn't mean to startle you." She seemed unsure. As though she wanted to move forward but was afraid of the redhead's reaction. Though this woman was as big a mystery to her as the one in her dream, something told her that uncertainty was something she was unused to seeing in the other woman.

"Its fine" Claire gave no further explanation but smiled ever so slightly at the brunette, before turning back to look at the dark ruin of a city. Alice took this as her cue to move, and approached the woman carefully. She copied her position, leaning gently on the wall and looking out. They stayed in silence for a few moments. Claire still trying to decipher her dream. Alice seemed to notice her internal conflict and stayed silent.

Claire had felt a bond to the young girl in her dream, though she couldn't put her finger on it. It felt almost sisterly. Perhaps that had been it. No. Claire shook those thoughts, the girl had looked nothing liked her. The girl felt important those, much like the woman Claire was currently standing next to. Alice. Even though she couldn't remember her, the redhead felt an overwhelming need to trust her. Along with the desire to stop her whenever she tried to do something reckless. Like landing an unstable plane on the rooftop of a prison, surrounded by thousands of the living dead. That instinct felt slightly foolish to Claire though, as it was accompanied by the feeling to protect the brunette. Which Claire knew was stupid. Alice didn't need protecting. She was unstoppable. Or so it seemed.

Claire was broken out of her thoughts once again, this time by the feel of material being placed on her shoulders. She glanced to her right. Alice was carefully placing the coat Claire hadn't even noticed she had over her. One of her hands brushed against Claire's and made her pull away quickly. Like she had been burned.

"Its cold. You should wear more clothing." She gestured to the undershirt and shorts Claire had found to sleep in. Claire just gazed at the woman. For the big tough person she made out she was, Alice had a soft side. Claire got the feeling she had seen this side to Alice before, and often. "What?"

"Nothing. Sorry." Claire shook her head realising she had been caught staring. Her cheeks blushed slightly. Claire turned back out to look over the city, "Thanks."

Silence passed between them once more. Though Claire could feel Alice's gaze drawing towards her every so often. It almost seemed involuntary. Like she couldn't help but check on the younger woman.

"Couldn't sleep?" Claire was about to brush the question off, but she had noticed the real concern in the other woman's voice.

"Bad dream." It sounded better than 'Overly complicated nightmare I didn't understand'. Claire could just about make out Alice nodding her head in understanding. "How come your up?"

Claire thought she saw a blush rise up the other woman's neck and cheek's, though she couldn't be sure in the dark. Besides Alice would never blush. Would she?

"Just patrolling." Claire frowned. Alice had been 'patrolling' a lot. Ever since they had arrived at the prison Alice had been offering to help them out with protection, and making sure no undead were slipping into the building unnoticed. Claire wasn't sure she had actually seen her sleep once since they got here. She shook her head though. Alice may have been her 'friend'. Though Claire didn't remember their friendship, she knew she didn't really have the right to tell Alice to sleep. Not when she herself had been having constant nightmares that kept her own sleep restless, and very tiring.

"Typical" Alice gave her a questioning glance, having not been a part of Claire's train of thought. "The word is ending, and I'm busy thinking about sleeping patterns. You would think I could concentrate on something a bit more useful. Like ... killing things."

Alice's laugh stopped the redheads rambling. She hadn't seen Alice laugh very much at all. She like it. The sound. The sight of her lips curling up. Her whole face lighting up. Claire decided she wanted to see it more often. Alice sobered herself up, still grinning from her seemingly random outburst of laughter.

"I'm sorry. Its just-You looked so serious." Alice took hold of the other woman's shoulders. "Claire. I don't want you to worry about 'killing things'. I know your still having a hard time with this memory thing, though she deny whenever I ask. I will protect you anyway."

Claire felt a smile tug at her lips. This woman she couldn't remember, made her feel ... different. Special. Claire felt her mind race to the image of the redhead lying curled up in the brunette's arms. That memory hadn't been there before. Perhaps that was how Claire got through the nights before her trip to find Arcadia. Wrapped up in Alice's arms.

"Claire? Are you ok?" Alice's face had become concerned when the woman didn't answer straight away.

"I'm fine. In fact, I have an idea how we could both get some sleep." She smiled easily, and watched Alice's smile grow merely at the sight of her own. Perhaps the end of the world wouldn't be so bad. She wouldn't have found Alice otherwise after all. Claire tugged the coat around her tighter, and lead the way back inside.


End file.
